The new artwork sparked a backlash on social media but the artist explained that he wanted to turn the derogatory term on racists who use it
Serie A's latest initiative in the ongoing battle to eradicate racism from Italian football has sparked controversy after the league chose to permanently exhibit artwork featuring three monkeys at its headquarters.
The artist, Simone Fugazzotto, is renowned for his metaphorical depictions of monkeys as human beings and explained that his intention was to "turn the concept back on the racists", highlighting that all humans evolved from apes.
The league's decision to permanently install the paintings in their main base of operations has not been hugely well received, however, with players such as Romelu Lukaku and Kalidou Koulibaly having previously been targeted with monkey chants from racist fans.